In the operation of internal combustion engines the reactor chamber is subjected to substantial temperature fluctuations because of the diverse operating conditions of the engine resulting in considerable thermal distortions of the reactor chamber relative to the outer shell or to the reactor as a whole. The resulting stresses may cause damage to the reactor and adversely affect its performance as well as it service life.
From German publication DT 2,020,154, a reactor is proposed with a chamber arranged freely extensible in the housing shell. The inlet nozzle is attached to the housing of the engine and extends freely through the shell and the wall of the reactor chamber. The inlet nozzle is surrounded by a tubular nozzle attached to the wall of the reactor chamber extending freely through the shell, and sealed to the shell by a diaphragm. This construction is costly and difficult to assemble, and owing to the detachment of the inlet nozzle from the reactor chamber does not allow the latter to be heated up rapidly.